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COMMUNICATIONS
per cent over 1964. In 1965 they carried 169.3 million passengers and covered 16.6 million miles, an increase of 7 per cent and 8.5 per cent respectively over 1964. Orders for 70 more buses were placed during the year. The company was operating a total of 31 routes at the end of the year including two holiday services and two special services on race days.
Within the urban areas both bus companies charge two fares. The lower fare is 10 cents and the length of this stage is roughly one mile. Travel exceeding this distance within the urban area costs 20 cents for any distance, which may be up to seven miles. There is provision for school children's and other concessionary fares.
On the Island, Hong Kong Tramways Limited operate an electric tramway service over 19 miles of track running between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, with a branch line round the racecourse in Happy Valley. All routes pass through the city of Victoria. The tramcars are 3 feet gauge, 500 volts DC four-wheeled double- deckers. From a total fleet of 162 tramcars, the average daily service operated in 1965 was 154 at peak periods. This gave a car every two minutes in each direction on all routes. Through the city area the minimum frequency was a car every 30 seconds in each direction. The number of passengers carried was 181.8 million, a decrease of 0.7 million or 0.4. per cent on 1964. Farès are charged at a flat rate for any distance over any route and are 20 cents first class and 10 cents third class, the maximum length of a route being 63 miles. The company also issues monthly. and concessionary tickets.
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The Peak Tramways Company Limited runs a funicular railway service up the Peak. The present haulage system is the mining type and has been in use since 1925. The tramcars are drawn along the track by nearly two miles of steel cable and carried 2.9 million passengers during the year, an increase of 38 per cent. The tramway climbs up to an altitude of 1,305 feet above sea level and the steepest part of the track has a gradient of one in two. It is reputed to be the steepest funicular railway in the world using a steel wire rope as its sole means of haulage.
Taxis are licensed for specific use on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon or the New Territories and conditions and fares vary with each area.